Library Journal has released its annual materials survey, with some interesting findings regarding ebook availablity and circulation.

Nine out of ten U.S libraries now loan ebooks. Since 2009, print book budgets have fallen in favor of ­ebook dollars, with ebooks escalating from 1% to 7% of the materials budget overall and averaging closer to 10% at the biggest libraries.

Ebook circulation has also increased 1% a year since 2011, when this survey began measuring it, but no patterns emerge by location or size. Instead, ebook success may be attributed to individual library and community dynamics.

Of the six major trade publishers in the UK, only three (HarperCollins, Random House and Hachette) offer ebooks to public libraries. Research conducted by Shelf Free in 2013 found that 85% of ebooks were not available to public libraries. Out of the top 50 most borrowed adult fiction books of 2012, only 7 were made available by publishers for libraries to lend electronically.

The Connecticut State Library’s Advisory Council for Library Planning and Development’s (ACLPD) eBook Task Force recently held an ebook symposium. The event follows the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protections report examining the availability of electronic books to public library users.

Keynoter Alan Inouye, director of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy, provided an update on eBook issues from a national perspective. With thanks to Infodocket who have made the slides available via slideshare.